


Sarcasm's a two player game

by Ellflc



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson, bmc - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Can be cute, Christine is good at sewing, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Ending could go one of two ways, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Huff that crossover shit, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Jeremy is a bit of a dick, Kind of slow burn but not really, Multi, Trolling, When Harry met Sally references, extremely cringe, richjake gonna be fun, romantic cringe, shit ton of sarcasm, very very queer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-12-24 17:29:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 11,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12017616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellflc/pseuds/Ellflc
Summary: Michael never had someone to call his own, never. Jeremy did, even Jake did. But Michael never did. Maybe a walk in the park would help...





	1. Tardiness again, Mr Heere?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In New Jersey do we set our scene, in a high school cafeteria filled with your Veronica Sawyers, your Evan Hansens and of course your Michael Mells

Michael Mell sighed and looked around in the cafeteria for the tenth time. His best friend, Jeremy Heere, was late for lunch again – third time this week. He was probably spending time with Christine Canigula, his girlfriend. He looked down at his lunch tray, the dull sloppy food getting cold and his slushie almost melting, and he was about to give up when he suddenly heard a “Shit, Michael!” behind him.  
Jeremy raced towards him holding a tray and stopped, out of breath and almost collapsing. “Shit…Michael…I’m sorry,” he said, trying to regain his breath, “Christine wanted to… talk about tomorrow… couldn’t say no”.  
Once Jeremy was done, Michael rolled his eyes and sighed, “Dude, it’s fine if you’re late once but this is the third time this week!”  
Jeremy looked up and saw that Michael was getting pissed at him and he tried to explain, “Come on, Michael, you know how I’m busy at lunch. It’s one of the few times I get to see Christine all day, and we were just finalizing tomorrow. You understand, right?”  
Tomorrow, Saturday, was when the three of them were going shopping for Brooke’s birthday at the mall. Rich Goranski, Jeremy’s nerdy friend, was also coming with his boyfriend Jake Dillinger. This was annoying to Michael, especially as about a term ago, Rich was the school bully and would constantly harass Michael about his retro look. Although it was down to a pill called the SQUIP telling him how to be popular, Michael still didn’t trust Rich now. It didn’t help that his boyfriend was one of the cool kids who taunted and beat up geeks like Michael. “Yeah sure” he said, hoping Jeremy would forget all about tomorrow. “Well, let’s go find a table.”  
Jeremy let out a sigh of relief, wondering how Michael was so patient with him. Michael had always been the calm one out of the two of them, right from when they were in kindergarten to now in junior year. They found a table and sat down. “Michael, you are coming tomorrow, aren’t you?” Jeremy looked across at Michael, who had a guilty look on his face, and tried to persuade him, “Come on, it’ll be fun! Rich’s coming with Jake and I’ll be there with Christine.”  
“Yeah, that’s the point. I’m the only one not in a couple going, so I’ll just feel like I’m third wheeling! Again!” Michael threw his hands up and put his head in his hands. “God, you’re so lucky to have someone like Christine who likes you so much. I just wish I had someone like that sometimes,” he said as he played with his food, his fork dripping in bright-red tomato sauce. “I would kill for someone to love me like you two love each other. You’re the perfect couple, you never fight at all.”  
Jeremy noticed his best friend’s tone, unhappy and lonely, and said comfortingly, “Hey, why don’t we just have a guy’s night tonight? You know, getting stoned and playing Apocalypse of the Damned? Level 13 – the cemetery! We gotta beat that one tonight” and he smiled reassuringly at Michael as if to say, “we’ve always got each other’s backs”.  
Michael smiled back warmly and said, “Thanks bro, but I’ve got a ton of homework to do.” This wasn’t exactly true, but he needed some time alone to just think about stuff like his love life.  
After he finished his slushie, he talked to Jeremy about random things like Bob Marley and Jeremy’s dad, who was doing quite well for himself. He spent the rest of the day not concentrating on any work, instead thinking of his future and college. He just wanted one boyfriend before college. Was that so much to ask for?


	2. Are these thoughts normal or just creepy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where our two star-crossed lovers finally meet... Yes, I am going to be cheesy, how could you tell?

That night, when Michael got home, he did his Math homework and decided to go out for a walk to calm down. He set off into the park and listened to some Nirvana, one of his all-time favourite bands. When he arrived at the park, there weren’t many people there apart from a late-night yoga class. Michael scoffed at them, thinking, “when have people become calmer by stretching?”   
Suddenly, two boys walked past him. One had a cast on his arm and looked like he was panicking, as the other boy kept saying “Chill, dude, you’re fine. Nobody’s going to notice.”   
Michael glanced at the second boy, wearing a green hoodie and looking slightly nerdy, and slightly blushed. The boy was very good-looking. “Woah, he’s definitely my type” Michael thought. Michael sharply turned around, began heading off and jumped at the sudden tap on his shoulder. He turned around and it was the boy in the green hoodie.  
“Oh sorry, you, uh, dropped your phone” the boy said confidently. Michael saw the boy had brown eyes, big like a deer’s, behind round glasses. He handed Michael back his phone and smiled.   
“O-Oh, thanks” Michael muttered as he tried his hardest not to blush more than he already was. He quickly walked away, embarrassed at how silly he must’ve looked in front of that boy. All night long, he couldn’t stop thinking of him, those eyes, that smile. He had to tell Jeremy about him.   
>> Michael: J? You up??   
>> Jeremy: Yeah dude, what’s up?   
>> Michael: Holy shit dude, I just met the cutest guy ever. I was so awkward around him though.  
>> Jeremy: What happened? Did you blush, you softie?  
>> Michael: Very funny. No, we just walked past each other in the park and then my phone fell out and he handed it back to me.  
>> Jeremy: What did you do next? Oh god, did you blab about video games again?  
>> Michael: No, I just muttered thanks and ran away. GOD, he was so good-looking. Not like I’m ever going to see him again though.  
>> Jeremy: Well, I mean, you might. It’s not that big a city…  
>> Michael: He smiled at me, Jeremy. What does that mean???  
>> Jeremy: Ok, calm down. He might’ve just been being polite? Idk  
>> Michael: Fuck, I totally messed things up. I’m going to sleep before I mess anything else up. See ya tomorrow.  
>> Jeremy: what, not a kissy-face emoji? I’m heartbroken   
>> Michael: oh, go on then [kissy-face emoji]  
>> Jeremy: that’s better. See ya tomorrow. 8am outside your house?  
>> Michael: yeah, cool.   
Michael turned off his phone and went to sleep, dreaming about the boy in the green hoodie and his mesmerizing eyes. The next morning, Michael woke up early and had a shower, picturing the boy again and again, smiling everytime. “Woah, take it easy”, he thought, “you’re not going to turn into a stalker”. He got dressed and then waited outside, texting his mom to let him know he was going to the mall. For the 100th time, he wished he had that boy’s phone number, but he knew that was impossible.  
He was there for 10 minutes before Jeremy showed up with Christine. “Dude, you ready to go?”  
“Yeah, I was ready 10 minutes ago” Michael said with some frustration. Did Jeremy have to always be late? His SQUIP had told him it was cool when he had had a SQUIP, but it constantly frustrated Michael.  
“Sorry, Christine spent ages” and Christine hit him lightly. “What? You did.” He sighed and said, “Hop in, hombre.”  
Michael cringed at that, “hombre? You’re being that basic? Jeez, you sound like Jake.” He laughed at that, before quickly looking around and shutting up.  
“Come on dude, be nice to him” Jeremy warned him. “We gotta go pick him and Rich up before the mall.” They sped off past his house and down the road, before stopping at a brick-red house and waiting for Rich and Jake.   
Michael looked at the house, hoping that they couldn’t come, but it wasn’t long before the door opened and he heard the sounds of “LET’S GET GOING, FUCKERS!” Rich and Jake piled in, and Michael waited for the insults to inevitably start.


	3. And the oscar for pretending not to be screaming inside goes to...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to make my little Mell happy...

It took about 10 seconds before Jake commented on Michael’s clothes, saying “Yo, could you look like even more of a dork?” He laughed in that loud, look-at-me way that Michael despised and then slapped hard on the back.  
“Please don’t do that”, Michael mumbled quietly to Jake, then wincing from the pain of that slap. Although he was tall, Michael didn’t have a high pain tolerance at all – he always overreacted to the smallest cuts and bruises.   
Rich looked at the two of them, and tried to be the peacekeeper. “Come on dudes, let’s not fight. Jeremy, you finish level 13 yet?”  
Jeremy shook his head, “nah dude, I told you, it’s a better game when you do it with someone else” and he looked at Michael, making him blush slightly.  
Suddenly, Jake laughed. “Dude, when you do that, you two look like such a couple it’s hard to believe you’re not. I mean, Jeremy, not saying Christine isn’t perfect for you but damn, you do so many couple things with Michael, it’s weird.”  
Christine laughed at this, “yeah, I mean, you’re always in a rush to see Michael. Almost like my company isn’t pleasant.”  
Jeremy rolled his eyes and kissed Christine lightly to disprove her point. He just focused on driving to the mall.  
Michael sighed and put on his headphones, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” blasting into his ears as he tried to drown out the obnoxious noises Jake was making.  
About 15 minutes later, they had parked and were just chatting in the mall. Michael actually quite liked Brooke and so he had got her some earrings that were her style. After an hour of shopping, they were in the food court, exhausted and needing caffeine. Michael went to go get everyone some coffees and he was just in the line when a voice made him freeze.   
“No, Evan it’s chill. Don’t worry, Zoe won’t even know, I promise. Yeah dude, I’m sure. Ok, I gotta go, see ya.” He hung up before muttering to himself, “finally’.  
Michael looked for the source of that voice and about two in front of him in the line was the boy he’d met in the park last night. He was trying extra hard not to go red, especially after how he’d just run away only saying “thanks”. For the millionth time, Michael kicked himself internally for not playing it cool.   
The boy got his coffee and walked past Michael, giving him that same smile he gave him at the park last night. This just confused Michael even more. He wasn’t great at reading people, so he couldn’t tell if that was just a friendly smile or something more.   
Only then did he realize he was at the front of the line and stuttered out the order. He bought a muffin for himself and then returned to the others with the coffees.  
“Dude, you ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost” Rich pointed out, grabbing his mocha.   
“Yeah, all the color’s gone from your face and you seem really out of it? Are you sure you’re alright?” Christine asked with concern.  
Michael couldn’t focus on them and realized everyone was staring at him. “Hmm? Oh yeah, I’m fine” he said. Nobody looked like they bought it and looked at him doubtfully. Acting had never been his strong suit.   
Whilst they were walking, Jeremy grabbed his arm. “What happened, Michael? Seriously, you look like you walked in on your parents doing it.”  
“Gross.”  
“I’m serious, what’s up with you?”  
“You know the boy I was telling you about last night? At the park?”  
“Yeah, the one you’re head-over-heels in love with.” Michael gave him a look. “Just kidding, but yeah?”  
“Well, he was right in front of me in the coffee line. And when he walked away, he gave me that same smile as last night! And I can’t tell what type of smile it was at all!”  
“Maybe he thinks you’re a cool guy and wants to be friends with you. Maybe he wants to be something more. I’m sure whatever it is, fate will decide” Jeremy blabbed and then covered his mouth. “Urgh, I’ve been reading way too many of Christine’s magazines.”  
Michael raised an eyebrow but said nothing, just sighed. They caught up with the others and spent another 2 hours in there before deciding to have lunch. Jeremy, Michael and Jake went to the Mexican place and Christine and Rich went to go get some Chinese food. When they had all got their food, Michael went to go buy a Coke from the Mexican place.   
He was almost at the front when he heard this, “Dude, are you stalking me?” He instantly recognized that voice and turned around.  
It was the boy, and he was giving Michael a weird look. “I mean, I’m flattered but I’m not that interesting.” He winked at Michael.  
“W-What? I’m not stalking you, I’m just getting my lunch” Michael said with an awkward laugh to top it all off. He got to the front and bought his Coke. He was about to walk back to his table when he felt an arm pull him back.  
“Hey, you seem like a cool guy, why don’t you have lunch with me? It would be better than eating alone” the boy asked, smiling nervously.  
“But, you don’t know me” Michael replied, not expecting this question at all. “For all you know, I could be some weird murderer.”  
The boy laughed, raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you a murderer?”  
“No, of course not” Michael smiled, trying his hardest not to turn red.  
“Perfect”, the boy said. “I was hoping to not get murdered today. So, you wanna have lunch with me?” and he looked down at the ground.  
Michael was too stunned to reply for a second, then said, “Yeah, um, sure. Just let me tell my friends” and he walked on up to where the others were sitting, unaware they had been watching him the whole time.  
“Yo, Michael, who was that guy?” Jake asked, leaning in.  
“Was that the guy from the park?” Jeremy excitedly asked, before realizing nobody else knew.  
The others all looked confused. “What guy from the park?” Christine asked, just as confused as Rich and Jake.  
“Ok, I saw this guy last night in the park and we made eye contact for two seconds and then he just smiled at me, and now he’s asking me to have lunch with him and I said yes and he’s so cute and nerdy and oh god what do I do?” Michael hurriedly admitted, with a despairing tone.  
Surprisingly, Jake was the first one to answer, “Dude, you gotta have lunch with him or you’ll never know what might’ve happened.” The other 3 all murmured in agreement and looked at him.  
Michael inhaled deeply, picked up his tray and said, “wish me luck!’ He walked to the boy’s table, where the boy looked up and grinned at him. Michael smiled back and sat down opposite him, brimming with joy.


	4. Jared and Michael sitting in a tree, I think you all know the rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand we finally hit it off here! Who's ready for the emotional ride of their lives?

“Well, first things first, I don’t even know your name. I’m Jared.” the boy said, his fork stabbing a salad leaf.  
“Oh, I’m Michael” Michael spoke quickly, not looking at the boy in case he turned red yet again.  
This made Jared beam and he said, “Well, Michael, sit down. Wouldn’t want that delicious-looking burrito to go cold”. There was a hint of sarcasm in there and Jared looked at Michael to see if he picked it up.  
To his relief, Michael did and he chuckled. “Yeah, it’s all right, I suppose. This mall’s got a shitty food court, but it’s my shitty food court.” He bit into his burrito and looked at Jared’s salad. “I see you went for the healthy option. Unlike me, I swear I’ve never eaten a single thing at that salad place.”  
This surprised Jared, so much so that he said “Well… wanna try some?” and he held out some salad on his fork in Michael’s direction, trying to tempt him.   
Michael felt his ears burn, which could only mean he was really going red. Jared held the fork closer and Michael didn’t know what to do. “I mean”, he thought, “that’s pretty close for a guy you’ve only just met. On the plus side, physical contact with a cute guy.” He finally decided that the contact was worth the looks he would get from his friends, and he tried some. “Huh, not as bland and tasteless as I thought it would be. But, I’m one of those guys who thinks everything is either better fried or wrapped in seaweed.”   
Jared wrinkled his nose, “Urgh, I hate sushi! It’s all just raw fish and rice, two things I cannot stand.”  
Michael decided to try a bit of humour, and put his hand to his heart and feigned shock. “How dare you insult the name of sushi??” he asked, before laughing.  
Fortunately, Jared laughed at this and the two of them just sat there for a couple of moments laughing. Jeremy, at the other table, was smiling. “Well, they seem to be hitting it off pretty well,” he said.  
“Dude, he totally likes Michael too” Rich said, “I mean, that action with the fork? Jake and I didn’t even go that far on our 3rd date.”  
“Aww yeah, I remember. You were so shy and timid.” Jake playfully teased Rich, tousling Rich’s hair.  
Rich had gone slightly red at this, and so this gave the others a distraction to forget about Michael and tease Rich for a bit.  
Back with Jared, Michael asked, “So, what school do you go to?”  
Jared rolled his eyes and said, “Just some high school about half an hour away that could be mistaken for a typical teen movie set. Senior year though, so I can burn it out of my memory. What about you?”  
“The local high school, about 15 minutes away. Junior year, so still got another year after this until freedom.” Michael thought, “this must mean he doesn’t live that far away. That’s a bonus.” Realizing he was staring off into space, he snapped back into focus and said “Umm, yeah, I live just down the road with my buddies so it’s easy to get to”.   
Jared suddenly sighed and said, “I hate pretty much everyone at my high school. I have about two friends and that’s all I need.”  
Michael scoffed and agreed, “Yeah, most of those guys over there aren’t even my friends.”  
“Oh, so why do you hang out with them?” Jared had a confused look on his face.  
It took Michael a minute to think of the right answer and decided on, “Well, basically that one, the little nerdy one”, and he pointed at Rich, “is friends with my best bud Jeremy”, pointing at Jeremy, “and his girlfriend Christine, huge drama nerd.” He indicated which one was Christine and continued, “And the other guy is Jake, Rich’s boyfriend and one of the cool kids.” He pointed at Jake and finally said, “I’m always third-wheeling those guys, but I’m getting tired of it, you know? I need a real boyfriend of my own”  
Jared looked at Michael, “Oh you’re gay?”  
“Yeah, I am. You straight?” This was the part Michael was fearing, hoping he would say no.  
Jared shook his head, “Nah dude, pansexual as fuck. I’ll fuck him and her and them.”  
Inside, Michael was doing a little dance of joy but he had to keep calm on the outside. “Ah, cool. Yeah, Jeremy’s always trying to set me up on dates, but I always hate them. They’re so annoying.”  
Suddenly, a plan formed inside Jared’s head. “You know, we could always pretend I’m your boyfriend to them, so they don’t set you up on any more blind dates.”  
Michael looked around, a bit uneasy. “Wait, what? But, we’ve literally known each other for less than 30 minutes, and besides, I don’t want to waste your time.”  
Jared laughed, “Please, I have nothing else to do all day besides play teenage-girl Regina George bingo. Doing pretty well so far.”  
“I-I, uhh, that would be awesome, dude.” Michael gave Jared a genuine smile and said, “So, what’s the plan then?”  
“Well, I suggest we walk over to them, you introduce me to your friends and then give them a little something to work with”, and he raised an eyebrow suggestively.  
“Oh, ok, as long as you’re cool with it.” Michael suggested to kiss him on the cheek, pretty bold for him considering he had known Jared for about 20 minutes.  
“Dude, relax. It’s all chill, besides it’ll be some pretty entertaining shit.” Jared smiled and got up, holding Michael’s hand. They walked on over to where the two couples were sitting. Once Jared was close, he leaned on Michael and said, “So, are you gonna introduce me to your friends Michael?”  
Michael froze for a second, not expecting Jared to lean on him. He quickly pulled himself together and responded, “Oh yeah, this is Rich, Jake, Christine and Jeremy.”  
“Oh, this is the famous Jeremy I’ve been hearing so much about, is it? Hi, I’m Jared.”  
Jeremy looked at Michael curiously, then laughed and said, “Hope he said some good things. So, how do you know Michael? Are you two dating?” He glanced back at Michael, hoping he was right.  
“Oh yes, we are, actually.” And he looked at Michael with love in his eyes.  
Michael was freaking out internally, not knowing what Jared was doing. He said, “Yeah, we just hit it off straight away” and proceeded to kiss him on the cheek.  
“Aww, always so subtle with your affection. Come here you,” Jared said and he pulled Michael in for a full kiss, cupping his hands over Michael’s face.  
Michael was stunned at this. “Oh my god, I am kissing this boy right now. Wait, why am I kissing him right now? What the fuck is going on? I thought he said a little something? God, he’s a great kisser” he thought, and he decided to hold on in there, savouring the passion of the kiss. Everyone else looked completely dumbfounded and their jaws were almost on the floor.  
Jared finally pulled away, saying “That was amazing, sweetie. I gotta go, I’ll text you soon” and he walked away, leaving Michael there who was still not entirely sure what just happened.


	5. The moment you've all been waiting for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I worship you, I'd trade my life for yours..." This chapter is quite short, apologies (or maybe relief, I don't know)

Michael, although being interrogated by his friends, walked after Jared briskly. “Wait, you don’t even have my number, also what the fuck was that?!?!” He pulled Jared aside, saying “you said something little. I’d hardly call that little!”  
Jared looked at him, smiled sheepishly and admitted, “well, in life, don’t you just have to go for the things you want?”  
That statement left Michael speechless. “W-W-What are you saying?”  
“I’m saying, I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you, not because it was an act. I like you, and I would like to go out with you sometime. That is, if you want to?”  
Michael smiled at this boy who liked Michael, who wanted to go out with him. On a date! “Yeah, I would like to go out with you”, and he wrote down his phone number onto Jared’s hand. “Call me as soon as you can” he whispered and he made his way back to the group table, immediately swarmed with questions.  
Jared chuckled and went in the opposite direction, immediately recording Michael’s phone number into his phone.  
“Well, what’s going to happen?” Jeremy asked. “Has Michael Mell finally found someone for him?”  
Michael grinned and said, “We might go on a date in the future, maybe as a couple. I gave him my number and told him to call me, so we’ll just see where it goes from there.”  
Jake laughed at Michael, “Dude! You just scored yourself a date! Congrats, plus I can kinda see why you thought he was cute.” Rich hit him and Jake turned around and said reassuringly, “But not as cute as you are.”  
“Well, tell us when you do hear from him. Any thoughts on where to take him for a date?” Christine asked.  
Michael’s face fell. He normally did things by himself or just with Jeremy, so he didn’t really know any places to take Jared. “Shit, I hadn’t thought of that” he mumbled.  
Jeremy put a hand on his shoulder and said, “hey, we’ll help you! We can think of places for you to take him, or he might wanna take you places. Didn’t you say he was a senior?”  
“Yeah, so he can drive, which would be nice.” Michael was fantasising about if he did see Jared again, where they would go, what they would do. “Anyway, should we go finish getting Brooke’s presents?”  
Later, in the evening, Michael’s phone buzzed. He expected it to be Jeremy or Christine, since they were the people who texted him the most. He got a pleasant feeling when the text said:  
>> Unknown Number: Hey, it’s Jared from earlier. You know, we talked about food, your friends, I kissed you, remember?  
Michael decided to return the humour, saying:  
>> Michael: Oh yeah, I think I remember you. Were you the one who mocked sushi?  
>> Unknown Number: a grave mistake, I realize now. But hey, I was just looking through my calendar for no reason and saw that I was free all day tomorrow. Do you want to meet up?  
This made Michael ecstatic. He was just having second doubts if Jared really did want to see him after all. That text just made his self-esteem soar and he casually texted back.  
>> Michael: ooh, let me just check my schedule.  
>> Michael: …  
>> Unknown Number: the suspense is killing me!!  
>> Michael: Well, you’re in luck because I also have the whole of tomorrow free as well. The park, same area where I first gazed into your eyes, 10 am?  
>> Unknown Number: …  
>> Unknown Number: …  
Michael was slowly having bad thoughts, thinking that maybe he had said something wrong or just suggested the wrong venue or the time was too early. But, his feelings were met with satisfaction over the next text.  
>> Unknown Number: I’ll be there 10 am sharp, same spot where I first heard Nirvana playing and realized you were the one for me.  
>> Michael: then it’s agreed. See you then.  
Michael felt as if he was on Cloud 9. He decided to quickly text Jeremy what was happening.  
>> Michael: dude, guess who has a date for tomorrow? ME!  
>> Jeremy: that’s amazing!!! Where you guys going?  
>> Michael: just the park, you know, talk and walk and be romantic.  
>> Jeremy: I want full reports of everything. Every little detail.  
>> Michael: your wish is my command.  
>> Jeremy: I want pictures as well.  
>> Michael: fine, I’ll send pictures. Will that be all for the stalker today?  
>> Jeremy: some hair and teeth would be great. Thinking of setting up a shrine for the two of you.  
>> Michael: I’ll see what I can do. I’m sure the shrine will look lovely  
Michael turned off his phone and just lay on his bed. Butterflies were flying through his stomach, and he just wanted to scream “I HAVE A DATE WITH AN AMZINGLY CUTE GUY” to the whole world. He shut his eyes and tried to sleep, waiting for tomorrow to come around.  
He barely slept at all, reliving different scenarios of what could happen tomorrow. Some were good, others bad, others just humiliating. He got up at 8am, chuckling as this seemed like the first time that he had ever woken up early on a Sunday. He soon got dressed, little smarter than usual, and went downstairs. After several minutes, he forced himself to eat one thing. He did not want his stomach to growl loudly and embarrass him, so he ate an apple. He decided to leave at 9:15, and left feeling confident. He felt on top of the world and nothing could make him feel any less joyful. Nothing at all.


	6. I didn't think anyone could feel this alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is graphic content here so strap on in for an intense rollercoaster.

Michael arrived at the park several minutes early so just kept pacing up and down the strip where he was going to meet Jared. He felt confident all of a sudden, as if people could say what they wanted about him and he wouldn’t give a damn.  
After what seemed like an eternity (3 minutes), Jared arrived, wearing a shirt and jeans. He saw Michael and smiled fondly, thinking to himself “I must be one of the luckiest men in the world right now.”  
Michael walked up to Jared and kissed him fondly on the lips, whispering “here’s for yesterday”.  
Jared smiled and said, “my, my, I was not expecting this so soon. You have mastered the element of surprise.”  
They both laughed and then walked up the park, not really knowing what to talk about with each other. Finally, Michael said, “oh my god” and he burst out laughing.  
This laughter confused Jared, and he stared blankly at Michael. “What is it?”  
Michael pointed at a couple a little older than then, snuggling together and swapping clothes and giving each other pet names. “Nothing, just those type of couples make me want to barf and burst out laughing at the same time.”  
Grinning evilly at Michael, Jared said mockingly, “Oh, I wuv you my widdle snuggly-wuggly bear, yes I do, yes I do” in the same voice you would use when petting your dog.  
“Not as much as I love you, wickle tickly toes” Michael instantly retorted back. He glanced at Jared and let out a sigh, so pleased that Jared had the same type of humour as him. “I wuv you so much, my itty-bitty honeydew”.  
Jared said, “and I love you too, my big strong handsome man”, suddenly sounding serious.  
Michael looked at him, then at the ground and just said, “pffft, shut up”. He suddenly felt the urge to go someplace private with Jared, as if he wanted Jared all to himself. “Hey, this may be too much, but my parents aren’t home for the whole day, so we could always go there?”  
“Oh”, Jared looked delighted at this, “I was wondering who was going to make the first move. I’d love to go to your house.”  
Michael beamed at this, then stopped himself, saying “wait, I promised Jeremy a picture showing I was going on an actual date.”  
“Oh, this was a date?” Jared smirked at Michael, then seeing his face, quickly said “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Sure, let’s take a pic”  
They took a picture and then headed on back to Michael’s house, Michael giving Jared piggybacks for some of it. As soon as they entered the house, Michael locked his lips with Jared, hanging his arms over Jared’s shoulders and twirling his fingers in his hair.  
Jared held onto that kiss, before finally saying, “I’d love to see your room.”  
Michael did a quiet chuckle and said, “would you really? Well, looks like today is your lucky day.” He led Jared upstairs to his room and lay down on his bed, furiously kissing Jared.  
Jared began to move down, kissing Michael’s neck and producing soft noises from Michael. Each kiss left a soft mark as Jared stopped at the bottom of Michael’s neck. He winked at Michael and threw his shirt off of him, encouraging Michael to do the same.  
Michael felt electric, and pinned Jared down on the bed. He started to rub his nipples and then slowly moved his finger down, listening intensely to all of Jared’s moans.  
Jared moaned and moaned, shivers going down his spine as Michael traced the outline of his nipple.  
Michael then slowly pulled down Jared’s boxers, taking his sweet time, not wanting to please too soon.  
This was agony for Jared, as his pants came off and eventually so did his boxers. “Come on Michael, d-don’t put me through this.”  
Michael kissed the inside of his leg and then gradually moved towards Jared’s penis. He slowly wrapped his mouth around it and for a minute, just stopped to see Jared’s face before going all the way on him.  
“Oh God, oh God” Jared moaned, about one word in ten being audible. “Oh M-M-Michael, fuck, OH MY GOD” he shouted as he felt Michael’s mouth around his shaft.  
Michael kept going and going with pleasure, only stopping when Jared let out a “OH YES” and darted away before he could come in his mouth. Michael let out a deep, bellowing moan, as he had come as well and the two of them just lay there for a while, looking up at the ceiling. They cuddled together and just lay there, until Michael eventually whispered, “You’re my first ever boyfriend.”  
Jared looked at him and chuckled, playfully teasing him with “Didn’t realize we were onto labels now.”  
This threw off Michael, but he played it cool and said, “we don’t have to be if you don’t want to?”  
“No, I like it. It’s sweet, and I do want to be your boyfriend.” Almost to prove this, Jared kissed Michael on the nose.  
Snickering, Michael said, “you remind me of that couple from the park earlier. Next thing, you’re gonna start giving me pet names.”  
“Love ya, hunny-bunny.” Jared wrapped his arms around Michael, almost to hold onto him from the rest of the world.  
“Love you too, sugar pie.” They fell fast asleep in each other’s arms, protecting them both from all life had to throw at them.


	7. Well, look who's being a rebel for once!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically some cutie pie shit, and some frantic desperate texting. Jeremy really is a fairy godmother

Michael woke early the next morning, just staring at Jared. He was afraid that if he moved, he would wake up Jared, so he just lay there.  
After a while, Jared woke up to find these two hazelnut eyes staring at him. He simply smiled and said, “how long have you been doing that?”  
Turning red, Michael stuttered, “maybe around 15 minutes?”  
Jared lightly chucked and said, “you’re so cute when you turn red. Even the tips of your ears turn red.”  
“Pffft, stop it. You’re sounding more and more like that couple from the park, you softie.”  
Jared feigned offence and hopped out of bed, saying “hope you don’t mind if I take a shower, do you? Feel free to join me”. This last part was accompanied by one of his famous winks.  
Michael chuckled and said, “in a minute. You go first, get it all nice and hot.”  
“Oh my god, that was cheesier than every porno ever.” Jared strolled confidently in the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.  
Hearing the door shut, Michael quickly texted Jeremy an update on the date:  
>> Michael: Dude, last night, he came back to mine and something may have happened…. Can’t talk, need to shower, not by myself for once ;)  
He entered the shower and kissed Jared on the shoulder.  
Jared chuckled and said, “just can’t keep your hands off me, can you?” He then turned around and kissed Jared passionately.  
With this kiss, Michael smiled and just let the moment take him. After a couple of minutes, he opened his eyes unexpectedly and shouted, “OH SHIT. SCHOOL!” He ran out of the shower and fumbled in his drawers for clothes. He quickly pulled them on and looked at Jared with panic.  
“Come on, can’t you miss one day?” Jared asked seductively.  
“No, you don’t get it. I’ve never been late ever before and I can’t be late. It’s just not something I do. Besides, don’t you have school?”  
Jared scoffed and shook his head. “I don’t really care about school. If I miss it, I just copy and say I was ill.”  
Michael looked at Jared and thought of all the fun they had. He smiled and said, “you know what? I can always catch up and yeah, I’ll just say I’m ill. Hold on, let me text Jeremy.”  
>> Michael: Hey Jeremy, can you say I’m ill in class? Thanks bro  
>> Jeremy: You’re not really ill, are you?  
>> Michael: I am, dude. Come on, please?  
>> Jeremy: Sure. You with Jared? What happened last night  
>> Michael: I finally did it dude.  
>> Jeremy: wait, which “it”? There’s more than one, Michael  
>> Michael: I sucked his dick  
>> Jeremy: wow, congrats dude! So, are you two a couple or just dick-sucking friends?  
>> Michael: We’re a couple who suck each other’s dicks, but we’re not gonna do all the cute shit you and Christine do, we’re cool.  
>> Jeremy: Shut up, I bet you will. I gotta go dude, some of us have classes to not skip.  
>> Michael: thank youuuuuu  
Michael put down his phone and said, “Well, I’m off the hook. Now, what do you want to do?”  
“I’m not sure, so many options, maybe you?”  
Blushing slightly, Michael said with a sexy voice, “That can be arranged.” He kissed Jared again and then lay on the bed, laughing. “But seriously, we can watch a movie if you want. Or go to the mall.”  
Jared chuckled and replied with, “Don’t mind”. He then put on one of Michael’s hoodies and said, “Ooh, it’s so soft and warm.”  
Michael smiled at this cute sight and walked to the door, quickly asking “I’m going to make breakfast, what would you like?”  
Gasping, Jared admitted, “I feel spoilt for choice. I’ll come decide in a minute, hold on.”  
Michael went downstairs and looked in the fridge to see what they had. He saw some eggs and cheese and decided to make some omelettes.  
After about two minutes, Jared could hear the frying and walked up to Michael, simply whispering into his ear “Smells delicious.”  
Jumping from Jared’s soft voice, Michael whispered back, “what do you want on yours? Cheese, peppers, ham, bacon?”  
“Mmm, there’s so much to choose from. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”  
“When Harry met Sally, right?”  
“Huh?” Jared stared blankly at Michael.  
“Sorry, just a huge movie fan. I’ve seen that film about a hundred times.”  
“Oh well, you’ll have to show me some time. You’ve got another thing I’d like to see too” Jared said flirtatiously.  
Michael laughed and then went back to making omelettes. They sat at his table eating omelettes for breakfast and just laughing about random things in life. For the first time, Michael felt like he was somebody’s world, the sun to their earth, the slushie to their 7-11 and he beamed radiantly inside, never wanting to leave this beautiful being in front of him out of his sight.


	8. Now, whoever could that be?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Full of suspense, omelettes and romantic films - it is a short one again sorry

They finished their omelettes, then Michael chuckled softly and said, “you know… my parents aren’t gonna be home all day. We could do whatever you want.”  
“Oh my, you do spoil me, Michael Mell. Well, I’d like to watch this film you told me about, When Harry met Sally?”  
“Well, as it just so happens, I have the DVD in my room. Wanna watch it there?”  
“Ok, but don’t you get any ideas mister.” Jared cracked up at this and ran up to Michael’s room.  
Michael sighed happily and followed him, sitting on his bed and motioning for Jared to sit next to him.  
“Ooh, the bed? Am I ready for that??”  
He rolled his eyes, “You’re my boyfriend and I just sucked your dick. I think you might be ready.”  
“So, what’s the plot? Wait, isn’t it a romantic film? Did not have you done as a romantic, you sweetie cake.”  
“Yeah, it’s a romantic, but it’s so much more than that. It has one of the most iconic lines in it EVER, and it is hilarious. It’s about Harry and Sally and them going on a car trip, and them realizing over years that they’re actually met to be together, instead of with the people they’re with. It’s great, you’ll love it.”  
“Aww, are they like us? Is that why you wanted to show it to me?”  
Michael pushed his glasses onto his nose, turned red and said, “just watch the movie.” He put it in and they watched it, both just happy that they were with each other.  
Jared could see why it was a good film. He had a laugh attack at the “I’ll have what she’s having” scene and when the film was over, looked at Michael and just hugged him. “That was the best film ever. I love you so fucking much for showing that to me!”  
Michael froze, his brain unable to tell him what to do next. Finally, his love kicked in and he said, “yeah, told you it was good, right?”  
“Oh my god, that was great! Well, we have the rest of the day to do whatever we want…”  
“Should we be naughty?”  
“Well, what were you thinking?”  
“Oh, I don’t know, pizza? Maybe… ice cream?”  
“Gosh, I didn’t know you were so adventurous Mr Mell.”  
Michael pulled the toggle of the hoodie Jared was wearing towards him and whispered to Jared’s face, “you’re goddamn right I am.” He kissed Jared vivaciously and then pushed him against the wall, teasing him with his fingers ever so gently.  
“No,” Jared smirked and said, “it’s my turn. It was yours last time.” He slowly slid down to Michael’s jeans and unzipped it. He looked up at Michael, then back down and said, “woah, you are packing.”  
“Well, what can I say? Big feet, you know?”  
“Ooh, I love that.” Jared had thrown off Michael’s pants and was just down to his underwear.  
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and the doorknob turned, catching Michael and Jared in the act.


	9. Jared Kleinman [insert snake emoji here]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damn Jared, didn't know you had it in you... (Hope you all liked the the mystery!)

“Shit, shit, shit” Michael muttered as he heard the knock. His eyes were wide open and he basically froze, not knowing whether to hide Jared or hide himself or both.  
“Relax, it’ll be fine.” Jared winced as the door crashed open, revealing the mystery person to be Jake.  
“Mell, I got your English – Oh shit.” Diplomacy was never Jake’s strong point and so he walked in on Michael about to be getting sucked off by Jared. “Um, I’ll come back later if you want.”  
“No Jake, the more the merrier,” a voice came from Michael’s underwear and Jared popped his head round to smile at Jake.  
“A-are you sure?”  
“Yeah, why not just hop on right in?”  
Michael couldn’t speak, just uttering sounds. “W-W-W-W-Huh? Jared, I’m not having a three-way with Jake. He has a boyfriend!!!”  
Jared rolled his eyes, not standing up, and asked Jake, “why did you come here again?”  
“Huh? OH! I just wanted to see if Michael was really ill or just faking. Good on you Mell for being a rebel. Didn’t know you had it in you! Anyways, I’ve got your English work.”  
“Oh, ok, cool, umm just put them on my desk,” Michael motioned to Jake to put all those textbooks and notes on his desk. He looked at the work and groaned. English was going to kill him.  
“Uh, I’ll go, shall I?” For the first time since Michael had known him, Jake was looking a little uncomfortable.  
“I mean, you don’t have to” Jared smiled wickedly and began to remove Michael’s boxers.  
Michael couldn’t believe what was going on. “Jared, what the hell are you doing? Why are you asking Jake to join us? Have you lost your mind?!?!”  
Jared looked at Michael and winked, revealing he was joking. “On second thoughts, Jake, no thanks. But, we’ll let you know once a position opens, ok?”  
Jake just looked embarrassed and muttered a goodbye before leaving.  
“Thank God he’s gone. Now, where were we?”  
Michael just still looked panicked. He began to hyperventilate slightly and had a pained expression on his face. “No, no, no he’s going to tell everyone at school, I just know it.”  
Looking up at his face, Jared stood up and looked directly at Michael. “Ok, what do you want to do about it? He’s probably not, so you’ll be fine.”  
“PROBABLY? Oh God, he definitely will, fuck this is not good Jared. I just need one piece of dignity there.” Michael lay down on his bed, silent tears pouring down his face.  
Jared walked over to the bed, gently kissed Michael and reassuringly said, “You take as long as you need. I’ll be right over here.” What Jared didn’t tell Michael was that he had already known Jake from Math camp, and that Jake had lied to everyone (including Rich) that he had actually been on holiday all summer long. His Math grades had been really low, so his parents had sent him to Math camp. He’d made friends with Jared, but that quickly disappeared as soon as school started. He texted Jake, very careful over his words.  
>> Jared: Hi Jake, it’s Jared. Um, Michael’s freaking out that you’re going to tell people about what you walked into. You won’t, right?  
>> Jake: …  
>> Jake: Yeah, I won’t, chill.  
>> Jared: Ok, because if you, I’ll have to tell everyone about where you really were last summer. And you don’t want that, do you?  
>> Jake: Fuck you, I wasn’t going to anyways. You don’t have to threaten me.  
Jared grinned menacingly and then turned back to Michael, sitting gingergly next to him. “Hey, I just texted Jake and asked him not to mention it, and he said yeah. I mean, he understood completely. You’re fine.”  
Michael sat up, looking hopefully at Jared. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”  
“No, babe, I swear. You ok?”  
“Yeah, yeah, I just get anxiety attacks from time to time. Sorry, it’s such a stupid thing.”  
“No, my buddy Evan gets them all the time. I understand. You need me to do anything?”  
“Pizza sure would sound good right about now,” Michael laughed.  
Jared joined in with the laughter. “Yeah, it really does.” He ordered it on his phone and then hugged Michael, saying “I’ll be here whenever you need me to.”  
Michael felt all warm inside, safe in the knowledge that at least one person was looking out for him.


	10. love me some generic high-school dancing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael, just like the Cowardly Lion, finally has Courage. I couldn't be prouder of him.

It took Michael a while to fully calm down, in that time the pizza had arrived.  
Jared looked at Michael, trying to be comforting. “Hey, you want some pizza? I got pepperoni or cheese, whichever one you want.”  
“I-I’m fine for now, thanks.” Michael sat up on the bed, his eyes all bloodshot. “Sorry, I’ll try not to dampen your sprits again. Ummm, well, actually I wanted to ask you something.”  
Hearing this, Jared sat up on the bed next to Michael. “Yeah? What is it?”  
“You’ll think it’s stupid, and feel free to say no if you want.”  
“Oh my god, just tell me. This is way too suspense for me.”  
“Right, sorry. Well, in about two weeks, we have a spring dance. I know it’s stupid, but Jeremy forced me to buy a ticket. He’s very persuasive, and I was wondering if maybe you would want to go with me? The tickets cover plus ones and who knows, maybe we’ll have fun and- “  
“Stop.” Jared stared at Michael, a stone cold serious expression on his face. After 30 seconds, he beamed and shouted, “I’M GOING TO A HIGH SCHOOL SPRING DANCE WITH THE CUTEST BOY EVER.”  
Michael laughed and said, “so… that’s a yes then?”  
“Yeah of course! I’d love to go with you. When is it?”  
“Oh, two weeks on Friday.”  
Whipping out his phone, Jared wrote that down and softly teased Michael. “It’s so cute how shy you get. I love it.”  
Michael giggled at this and then, hearing his stomach, said “Pizza sounds good right about now.”  
They sat on the floor, eating pizza and discussing their plans for the dance. Michael was shocked to hear that Jared had never worn a suit and gasped so loudly he almost choked on some pizza. “But, haven’t you ever been to a dance or anything like that?”  
“No, I’ve managed to miss every last one. I’m not a huge fan of those generic high school things.”  
Michael suddenly felt like he had forced Jared to go and quickly said, “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. We can just skip it.”  
“Are you kidding? No way, I’d rather experience one with you than miss all the rest my school do.”   
“Ok, but first things first, we are going to get you a suit. A tux is most suitable for a dance I feel. We’ll go into town after pizza and get it, ok?”  
“Come on, they won’t have any left. It’s two weeks left, and they must be sold out from all the eager beavers.”  
“You’d be surprised. Plus, I know the guy there pretty well so he always gives me discounts.”  
“Awww, you’re the best.”  
“I know I am, that’s why you’re here.”  
They both sat around laughing, then finished off all of the pizza. They lazily sat there for about 20 minutes just talking about nothing.   
Michael, after a while, got up, walked to the door and said, “well, you wanna go into town? I mean, it’s not too far away which is good. And besides, we can stop at 7-11 on the way.”  
Gasping, Jared excitedly said, “ooh, slushies!!”  
“Pfffft, yeah let’s go get a slushie.” Michael kissed Jared on the head just to show his love for both him and slushies.  
They walked into town, Jared still wearing Michael’s hoodie. They talked about the spring dance and the fact that they both thought it was a waste of time, and then joked mockingly about high-school students who enjoy the dance. “Oh God, Jeremy’s so keen, it’s so annoying. All he talks about is what dress Christine’s buying and what car they’re taking, and even about what colour tux it is. At least Rich and Jake have the good sense not to talk about it that much.”  
“You poor thing. That’s my next charity, saving bored kids from people who are way too enthusiastic about prom.”  
“For just $10, you can help a student not have to be forced to listen to every damn thing about your prom night. We get it, you have it all planned out. Good for you! Oh wait, we’re here.”  
They stepped into 7-11, both buying a slushie. Michael also bought some little groceries for home, which made Jared feel like they were an old couple. He looked at Michael and then made up his mind once and for all, this was the man right for him, for Jared Kleinman.


	11. Well, that's one way to remember the dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dangers of alcohol mixed with high-school social high points

Readers, we're going to skip the next two weeks now. Michael bought Jared a suit, he looked sexy in it and they did some more cute, romantic things. School for both of them was mediocre, but they always found a way to meet up every single day.   
It was Friday night, the night of the spring dance. Michael was just fixing his own tie, when his bathroom door opened and Jared sauntered out in his suit. "How do I look?"  
“Like the sexiest man I know, but where’s your tie?”  
“I did say I’ve never worn a suit before, Michael. That means I can’t do a fancy bow tie like you. Would you care to show me?”  
“Fine, then sit down, student.”  
“Yes, sir” Jared seductively growled and he let Michael do his tie for him. About 15 minutes later, they heard Jeremy’s car pull up and both rushed downstairs.  
Jeremy was looking suave in his tux, and Christine looked beautiful in her dress, a sapphire blue knee length dress that worked so well on her.  
“Michael, let’s go!! We’ve been waiting for nearly 2 minutes! I thought you were a stickler for punctuality.”  
Michael rolled his eyes and said, “Woah, Christine, that is an amazing dress.”  
“Oh, thanks Michael. I made it myself!”  
Jared’s eyes opened wide in curiosity. “YOU MADE THAT YOURSELF?!?! Are you secretly Donnatella Versace or Coco Chanel??”  
Christine let out a cute, little giggle. “That’s very sweet of you Jared, but no. I’m just plain old Christine.”  
“No, you’re talented as fuck, Christine. Holy shit, that must’ve taken you ages.  
Jeremy swivelled round and began to whine. “Come on, you two, get in or I’m leaving without you.”  
They both hopped in, still gawking at Christine’s dress, and the four of them made their way to the high school, just in time for the dance. They made their way in, and walked down the halls to the gym where the dance was being held.  
“Huh. The gym looks better than I thought. I was expecting a more stereotypical theme, but it looks better like this.”  
Suddenly, Christine looked around, confused. “Wait, where’s Rich and Jake?”   
She felt a great big hand on her shoulder, “heeeeeyyy, Christine.” It was Jake with a stupid grin on his face and his breath smelt of alcohol.  
“Jesus Jake, how much did you drink? We promised we weren’t going to get drunk before,” Jeremy said, frustrated.  
Rich stepped in, helpless in this situation. “I did try to stop him, I did. But, he just kept on drinking the whole bottle. He didn’t leave me any.”  
“Aaaaah, come on, be chill. Imma go do some shit” Jake slurred and he walked away, Rich rushing anxiously behind him.  
Jared sighed, “well, that’s going to put a spanner in the works, isn’t it?”  
“We’ll just have to ignore his as much as we can.” Michael grabbed Jared’s hand and said, “would you care to dance?”  
“There’s nothing else I’d rather do than dance with you right now.” Jared smiled at Michael and allowed himself to be pulled into the dance floor, Jeremy and Christine excitedly following them.  
They all danced, trying to make as many memories as possible. After a little bit, Jared went to go get some drinks, leaving Michael with Christine and Jeremy.   
He felt a hand tap him from behind, and he turned around.   
It was Jake, and he was still drunk. He messily kissed Michael, before saying very, very drunkenly “I’ve always loved you, Michael. I wanna be with ya, not Rich.”  
Michael pulled away, disgusted at Jake. “What the fuck. Jake, stop this. You’ve got Rich and I’ve got Jared. Get away from me.”  
“Nooooo, your boyfriend’s mean. He keeps texting me every day, and-and I’ve told him to stop, but he won’t and he’s soooooo mean.”  
Jared had seen Jake kiss Michael, and walked up to the two of them, coolly asking Jake, “Jake, did I just see you kissing my boyfriend?”  
Jake was then joined by Rich, who looked like he was about to cry. “Yeah Jake, did you just kiss him?”  
The drunk Jake looked around him, just said “shuddup” and then haphazardly walked towards the gym exit.  
There were tears down Rich’s face and he looked at Michael, just mouthing “I am so sorry” at him before running to the toilets.  
Michael sighed and whispered “shit.” He felt like he hadn’t come to the dance, none of this would’ve happened. Everyone would just be fine, and relationships wouldn’t be breaking as he spoke. He knew he had to do something to help Rich, the guilt was overwhelming. But just what could he do?


	12. RIP Jake. He's not dead, just dead to Rich.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you can't tell from the title, Rich and Jake are about as doomed as the Titanic was on that fateful day (too soon?)

Rich and Jake didn’t speak to each other over the weekend, and Rich was suddenly spending a lot more time with Michael and Jared, mainly because he felt he owed Michael an apology. On Monday, that’s when all hell broke loose.   
Michael was just coming out of math class, and of course was sending oh-so-adorable texts to Jared about nothing at all. Suddenly, Rich stormed out of a classroom, just saying “Save it Jake, I don’t want to hear it.”  
“Well, I was fucking drunk! I can’t control what I do when I’m drunk, you know that!”  
“I do know that you speak your mind when you’re drunk, and you told Michael you’d rather be with him over me. How do you think that makes me feel?!?!”  
“For the last time, it didn’t mean anything. This was just like the time you burned down my house, remember?”  
“Oh my god, that was completely different. I had someone controlling me, not just a temporary drug that makes you, Jake Dillinger, tell the truth!”  
“How many times do I have to say I’m sorry for what I said?? I know it was stupid, and boy do I regret it.”  
Rich walked right up to Jake, crossed his arms and interrogated him further. “Look me in the eyes, and tell me you didn’t mean it.”  
“I-I, I didn’t” Jake said, but he was too ashamed to look at Rich.  
Scoffing loudly, Rich said, “I see. Well, I think you know what I’m about to do.” He walked out on Jake, not looking back.   
“Fuck, Rich!” Jake walked after him, but Rich just ignored him. He just kept out walking out of the school, Jake following him and trying to justify himself.  
“Whoa, I’ve never seen them fight before. It felt weird,” Jeremy said, a confused expression on his face.  
“Should we go after them, make sure Rich is ok?” Christine flittered around, anxious yet concerning about Rich.  
“No, let’s let them figure this one out.”  
A few hours later, Michael was lying in Jared’s lap, looking up at him. “That’s the first time they’ve fought. I’ve never seen Rich so angry, but to be honest, I have to take his side. Jake couldn’t even look at him and say that he loved him more than anything.”  
“Well, then, does Jake really deserve Rich? I mean, I’m sure Rich will find someone else.”  
Michael sat up and looked at Jared. “Um, about Friday night, what did Jake mean by you texting him every day?” He had panic and fear in his eyes and he held his breath, expecting the worst.  
Jared took his hand and looked back. “Sweetie, it’s not like that. No, you’re way more attractive than Jake is, in a million year. Jake was exaggerating a bit, I don’t text him that often.”  
“But why do you text him at all? I mean, why do you even have his number?”  
“It’s a long story and Jake doesn’t want me telling anyone, even you.”  
“Jared.” Michael stared at Jared, giving him a look of confidentiality and trust. “You can tell me. I’ve kept every secret I’ve ever been told. I’m a vault.”  
“Well, ok but you can never tell anyone. Basically, you know how Jake’s not the brightest of people?”  
“Well, yeah.” Michael sat next to him in English class, and he did tend to ask quite stupid questions.  
“So, his math grades in particular were so low that his parents forced him to math camp. Now, I went this summer because Evan forced me to, and I managed to get on with Jake. We swapped numbers, talked all night, things like that. But as soon as camp was over, he just forgot about me. And the one time he did reply was to threaten me to shut up about the situation. I’ve only ever texted him when I needed to, like the other night when Jake walked in on us so – “  
“Wait, you’re blackmailing him?!” This made Michael startled and he suddenly stood up. “Jared, you can’t do that. Blackmail’s wrong!”  
“Well, so is cheating on your boyfriend! Besides, did you want him to tell the whole school about that night?”  
“I-I guess not, but you can’t just blackmail people in life. That’s not how the game is played.”  
Jared kissed Michael on the cheek and said, “I promise I won’t blackmail anyone. For you.”  
“That’s better, now what do you want for dinner?”  
“You?” Jared seductively winked at him and Michael fake-swooned.  
“Oh my. I meant for dinner. My parents just bought groceries and I do know how to cook. I was thinking… stir-fry?”  
“You know what, that sounds great.” Jared sighed and stared with awe at Michael, someone who had their shit together. But boy, was that shit going to all start falling soon.


	13. Guess the world's not all lollipops and rainbows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does contain homophobic slurs, just putting that out there. I am really, really sorry if people get offended by this. I did not mean to cause offence, just provide some good reading.

The next morning, Michael was just getting ready for school, getting dressed, singing along to Marley for the 1000th time when he suddenly got an anonymous text. He opened it up and read the text he’d just been sent:  
>> Unknown caller: Kill urself, fag.  
Michael felt visibly sick reading this. He thought to himself, “who the fuck would write something like this?” He shuddered and deleted it, thinking it was some kind of offensive joke played by the freshman high on testosterone. Quickly, he decided not to tell Jared in case Jared got mad or wanted to attack someone. A few minutes later, his phone got an alert with another text message.  
>> Unknown caller: I’m seriuz. Do it, homo. Disgusting.  
This left a few tears in Michael’s eyes, but once again he deleted it and set off to school, turning his phone off so he couldn’t receive any messages. All throughout school that day, he didn’t concentrate at all and he just barely made it to lunch.  
Jeremy sat opposite him, looking at him with concern. “Dude, what’s up? You seem really out of it today. Is everything ok at home?”  
“Hmm? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Michael thought that if he told someone, it would just make everything far worse.  
Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Come on dude, you can tell me. I won’t tell anyone, not even Christine.” This was a huge promise for Jeremy, considering he normally told Christine everything. He smiled at Michael with hope.  
Michael sighed, giving in and telling him. “Basically, I was just doing my normal routine this morning when I got a text for an anonymous number.”  
“Yeah and?” Jeremy sat forward, curious.  
“God, they were so rude. They fucking called me a fag, Jeremy. Then, um, they told me to kill myself.”  
This made Jeremy startled. He knew all about Michael’s self-harm and his anxiety overloads, and these comments were exactly the type to trigger him. “Shit. Have you told anyone or done anything about it? I mean, that’s homophobia Michael. That’s cyber-abuse.”  
“No, and you have to promise me you won’t either. I really don’t want the school finding out, or anyone you or I care about. I mean, it was probably just some 14-year-old playing a nasty little prank. I’m sure it’ll all go away by tomorrow.”  
“Hmm, yeah.” Jeremy wasn’t sure, as he knew from personal experiences bullies (Rich) didn’t just go away overnight.  
A few hours later, Michael was with Jared and he turned his phone on, wanting to show him his new favourite song by Soundgarden, another band he loved. He turned it on to find he’d received a whole stream of messages later on in the day from this one troll. They all said relatively the same thing:  
>>Unknown number: Kill urself, gays are unnatural.  
>>Unknown number: Don’t ignore me, queer. I won’t just go away.  
>>Unknown number: Pussy boy, won’t even text back. Just shows your ashamed of ur fagginess.  
“Fuck” Michael whispered, and he had streams of tears trickling down his face.  
Jared saw Michael like this and rushed to his side. “Woah, woah, woah, what’s wrong? Babe, tell me.”  
“It’s fine, nothing you should deal with.”  
“You’re my boyfriend, Michael. I’m allowed to worry about you, especially when you’re like this. Why are you crying?” Jared looked really worried as Michael kept crying.  
Michael couldn’t say anything because of the lump in his throat, so he just held out his phone to show Jared the texts.  
Jared turned white, and looked at Michael. “How long has this been going on for?”  
“Only today,” Michael whispered hoarsely.  
“Jesus, why are there suck FUCKED-UP PEOPLE IN THE WORLD?” Jared trembled with anger, his fists clenched tightly. “I mean, aren’t we allowed to have a relationship? Is that so fucking hard for people to get?!?!”  
Michael looked at Jared, feeling guilty for some reason. “It’s my fault, I said not to drag you into this but I still did.”  
“Hey, no you cannot blame yourself for this. At all.” Jared hugged Michael for a minute and then said, “any thoughts on who it might be?”  
“No, I just thought it was some teen. Why, do you have an idea?”  
Jared nodded his head. “It might be Jake, if you think about it.”  
“Wait, why would it be Jake? He’s queer as fuck. He wouldn’t send homophobic shit like this. Besides, I have his number.”  
“Yeah, but what better way to take revenge on a guy that split his relationship than go after the guy and try to separate his relationship?”  
The more Michael thought about it, the more sense it made. Jake had been giving him more glares in the corridor, and it seemed like he was avoiding Michael. “Oh my god, it was Jake. It makes such sense now. Shit, that mother fucker is dead!”  
Jared looked at Michael, alarmed. “Ok, let’s calm down. We don’t know that.”  
“No, I know it was! Of course, it was, he hates me now. That son of a bitch.” Michael raced out of the door and down the road to Jake’s new house, Jared trying to keep up with him.  
“Michael, don’t do this, we don’t have concrete evidence.”  
“IT WAS HIM. I KNOW IT.” And Michael knocked furiously on the door, fury in his eyes. Jake surely was a dead man now.


	14. Why you do need evidence to accuse someone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeez, can Michael ever catch a break? I guess not for now...

Michael shook as he heard someone walk to the door. “Jake, you are fucking dead. You son of a bitch, you piece of shit.”  
“Babe, please. You don’t know Jake did this, you’re just going to attack him for no reason at all. Just, please think.” Jared grabbed Michael’s hoodie, forcing him to turn around and see the desperation in Jared’s eyes.  
The door suddenly opened and Jake stood in front of them. “Michael, dude, what are you doing here? This is not the best time,” he hissed at them.  
This just made Michael ever madder. “YOU FUCKING BASTARD, JAKE DILLINGER. What, so I don’t make out with you one time when you’re wasted and now it’s alight to bully me? Is that how it works?”  
“What? Michael, I never – “  
“No, how dare you? What gives you the right to send me these disgusting texts. You called me a fag, Jake. What the actual fuck?”  
Jake stepped back. “Woah, Michael, why would I send texts like that? You know I’m queer, so why would I be the one using homophobic language?”  
Michael scoffed. “Because it’s an easy way to get back at me for basically destroying your relationship with Rich?!?! You know how painful it was to get one that told me to kill myself? After all of this?!” He rolled up his hoodie, showing a multitude of scars from when he used to cut himself.   
Jared had never seen these scars before. He gasped and didn’t know what to say, so he just stood there.  
“Jake, why don’t you go take your bitchy texts and fuck off?” Michael shuddered and was sweating profusely.  
Jake looked helpless in this situation. “I-I-I don’t know what to say, Michael. I’m sorry about all these texts but they’re not from me. I don’t know who they’re from.”  
“Like I’m supposed to believe THAT?!” As soon as he said that, his phone binged.  
>> Unknown number: Lol, as if I was that queer-ass fag Jake.   
Michael stared at the text, then at Jake and then at the text again. “Huh, well I am sorry Jake. I guess you aren’t the one sending me these texts. I am sorry for shouting at you and preparing to beat the shit out of you. See you in class!” He set off down the block back to his own house, mortified.  
“Dude, I’ll help if I can I swear.” Jake shouted after him, still extremely confused.  
The speed at which Michael was walking at meant Jared had to run to keep up with him. “Babe, that’s why I said not to go over there until you had proper evidence. I’m sorry that it wasn’t Jake.”  
“God, I feel like an idiot” Michael chuckled. “Jake’s gonna think I’m so weird now. I mean, I just shouted at him for no reason. Holy shit, I wish my life was perfect for one minute.”  
“Well, I can make you feel better if you want” Jared whispered seductively.  
Michael growled back, “Oh you sexy little thing, come here you” and he kissed Jared passionately for at least a minute. A new text suddenly popped up on his phone.  
>> Unknown number: you two disgust me. Gross.  
“GODDAMNIT LEAVE US ALONE” Michael shouted at his phone, tears pouring down his face. He sat on the sidewalk, put his head in his hands and started to burst into tears. “WHY?!?! I HAVE ONE RELATIONSHIP WITH A HOT GUY AND IT WAS ALL GOING SO WELL BUT OF COURSE NOTHING LASTS FORVEVER, RIGHT?”  
Hearing this painful cry, Jared sat down next to him. “Hey, honey, come on. These texts will come and go and will stop soon, I promise. Besides, I’ll help you through any of it, even the most painful ones.”  
This made Michael feel slightly better. “O-Ok. Thanks. Oh.” He just remembered that he showed both Jake and Jared his arm full of scars. “So I guess, you saw the cuts on my arm huh?”  
“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Jared smiled supportively at Michael.  
“Yeah I’d rather not, thanks.” That was a dark period in Michael’s life and still had painful memories.   
They walked back to Michael’s house and sat in his room, Michael an Jared’s lap. The only thing on both of their minds was if these nightmarish texts would go away soon. Yeah, no chance in hell.


End file.
